Zorro and The Golden Sceptre
by CrazyJan57
Summary: Zorro and de Soto have to put aside their dislike of each other, to discover the reason why a stranger was attacked on the way to Los Angeles. Based on NW Zorro
1. Chapter 1

**ZORRO AND THE GOLDEN SCEPTRE**

Disclaimer - I don't own the rights, Zorro Production Inc does - I just like to play with the characters.

Plot - Zorro and de Soto have to put aside their dislike of each other, to discover the reason why a stranger was attacked on the way to Los Angeles.

This was written for a facebook challenge, to write a more Zorro centric story, to make it more like an episode rather than a novel type story and to keep it within a word limit of under 15,000. It was definitely a challenge for a couple of reasons.

Usually my stories are character based and focus on the relationships of Diego with Victoria, his father, Felipe etc and rarely does it focus on Zorro. In fact, about half of my stories don't even have Zorro in them, which is kind of strange considering that it is the name of the show. The other challenge was the word limit, as I tend to ramble on with large descriptive passages but I surprised myself and managed to get it under the limit :)

Anyway, here it is for everyone to read and hopefully enjoy.

* * *

><p>Prologue<p>

The grand San Gabriel Mission and its surrounding buildings rose from the fertile plains, close to the San Gabriel Mountains and nestled beside the life giving waters of the Rio Hondo, in testament to man's tribute to God. The Mission was part of a much larger plan, created by the Spanish, to spread the word of the Almighty throughout the region and to convert the local natives to Christianity. It was also a place to worship, a place to provide religious teachings and guidance and to perform the essential services of marriage and baptism, all designed to keep the people from descending into a life of sin.

Not only did the Mission provide religious needs to the local populace, it also provided employment. Many of the inhabitants tilled the land, while others worked in small but essential industries of leatherwork, woodwork as well as the making of candles and soaps, all of which contributed to the needs of the community and beyond. It was said that the candles from the San Gabriel Mission, could be found in homes as far away as San Diego.

However, there was one more service the mission provided and that was as a source of information.

San Gabriel Mission was situation on the main road, el Camino Real, which traversed Alta California from San Diego in the south to San Francisco in the north, bringing all kinds of travellers to the mission. New settlers came from all over the colonies looking for a better life, soldiers on their way to their new postings, as well as the occasional government and church officials, all exchanging news with the priests and each other. Some may call it gossip but to one man gossip was the reason he had travelled to the San Gabriel Mission.

Father Jose de Zalvidea found his guest in the courtyard preparing his horse for the ride to Los Angeles, "Ah Comandante Aragón, I have sent Moses, our most trusted neophyte, to Santa Barbara at your request."

Aragón nodded, "Gracias Father de Zalvidea. I am in your debt," he replied, "It will save me time from riding back to Santa Barbara before heading to Los Angeles."

The priest gazed at the older man, "Is your mission so urgent that a delay of several days would greatly affect the outcome?"

Aragón sighed, "Perhaps not but I rather not take the chance -" he was interrupted by a young boy rushing up to him, "Excuse me Señor, I have something for you." he said as he held out a piece of paper.

The military man looked down at the boy, "And what is this, Ernesto?" he asked as he took the rumbled paper.

"I just wanted you to have it." Ernesto said with a smile before he scurried away.

Father de Zalvidea chuckled, "That boy is always copying things from books and giving them away," he said, "What is it this time, Comandante?" he asked curiously.

The Comandante gazed down at the drawing and smiled, "It's from a story I told him earlier, about Kings and Queens of the olden days." he replied before he placed it into his pocket. He held out his hand to the priest, "Thank you for your hospitality, Father."

Father de Zalvidea smiled as they shook hands, "You are most welcome," he replied, "Rest assured Comandante, your mission will remain secret between us."

Aragón nodded as he mounted his horse, "Gracias. Adios." he said as he pulled on the reins and urged his horse out of the mission grounds.

As he began the half day ride to the small pueblo of Los Angeles, Aragón knew all his hard work, patience and diligence over the last nineteen months was about to come to fruition. His careful questioning of Father de Zalvidea, whom he had informed part of his assignment and with the information gathered from several visitors at the Mission, he now had no doubts whatsoever that the man he was looking for was currently living in the vicinity of Los Angeles. It seemed that the final setting in the drama, which began in Granada all those months ago, was to take place in one of the smallest outpost of the colonies.

Comandante Aragón was nearing the end of his journey when he saw two well-dressed men riding in his direction and as he came closer to them, the hair on the back of his neck rose up. Something was wrong, very wrong. He glanced furtively around him, searching for signs of other people travelling along the road but he saw nothing except barren rocks and trees. It was a perfect place for an ambush.

"Buenos dias, señores." he said warily, as they passed on the dusty road.

"Buenos dias, señor." said one of the men, while his companion pulled a pistol from his belt and aimed it at Aragón's chest, "Here's a little gift from Maximo." he sneered.

Aragón was not going to wait for the man to fire his weapon, so he kicked his horse in a vain hope of escaping the assassin's bullet but it was not to be. He heard the shot and then a second later he felt a hot, searing pain in his upper body before darkness closed over him and he tumbled off his horse onto the hard, unforgiving ground.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

It was market day in Los Angeles and it seemed the entire population of the small town was in the plaza, all wondering around the colourfully decorated stalls, which displayed a large variety of wares, from all manner of fruits and vegetables, to pottery and glassware, to handmade candles and soap, to bolts of fabric. And with the sounds of people bartering over the cost of items and children laughing, along with a group of musicians who had struck up a lively tune on their guitars and drums, it created a wonderful festive atmosphere that everyone was enjoying.

One such person was Senorita Victoria Escalante. She greeted her friends with a smile as she wondered around the stalls carrying a basket over her arm. She bartered, in a friendly manner, over some cloth before she made her way to Señora Medina's vegetable stall, "Buenos dias Señora, your vegetables look fine today." she commented with a warm smile.

"Gracias Senorita," Señora Medina replied with a warm smile of her own, "Are you looking for anything in particular?"

Victoria nodded, "Si, I'm looking for some tomatoes, carrots, peas and onions, if you have them." she replied.

The older woman nodded, "Yes, I have all those for you." she said as she began gathering the vegetables together.

Just as the two women finalised their transaction, Victoria heard a familiar voice calling her name, "Hola Victoria, may I carry your basket for you?"

She turned and smiled at her friend, "Gracias Diego, that would be most kind -" she was interrupted by loud shouts coming from the opposite end of the plaza.

"Get the doctor! Hurry!"

Everyone turned in the direction to see Don Ricardo pulling his wagon to a stop outside the cuartel, "We have a wounded man here." he called out as he jumped down from the wagon.

Two men raced off to get Doctor Hernandez and the Alcalde while Diego, Victoria and several others, rushed up to the rear of the wagon to find Don Ricardo's son cradling a wounded man in his arms.

"What happened, Don Ricardo?" Diego asked.

Don Ricardo shrugged, "I don't know, Don Diego. We found this stranger lying on the side of the road about a mile away from here. He's been shot in the chest and is very close to death." he replied as Doctor Hernandez came up to them and clambered up into the wagon to tend to his patient.

Diego frowned, "Did you see anyone in the area?" he asked.

Don Ricardo shook his head, "No but we were more concerned about getting him into the wagon, then worrying about the attacker."

"Of course -"

"Right, I need to get him inside." Doctor Hernandez interrupted, as he jumped down from the wagon, "You, you and you," he pointed to three random men, "Carefully lift him up and carry him inside." he ordered.

"Yes, doctor."

As the men carefully moved the wounded man from the wagon, Victoria saw something float to ground. She bent down, being mindful of her half-filled basket and picked up a piece of paper from the dusty ground and as she straightened back up, she noticed it had a strange picture on it. To her, it looked like a child's drawing of a walking stick; a long straight line down the centre of the paper, with a somewhat curved handle or a hook on the top, and a forked end at the bottom, "I wonder what this is?" she mumbled to herself.

"What do you have there, Victoria?" Diego asked as he stepped closer to her.

"This piece of paper fell out of the wounded man's jacket," She replied as she handed it over to him, "It looks like some child has drawn it."

He took the paper from her, "It does look like that, doesn't it?" he replied as he gazed thoughtfully at the drawing.

She watched him curiously, "Do you know what it is?" she asked.

He shrugged, "No, not really." he replied as Alcalde de Soto and Sergeant Mendoza came up to the crowd gathered around the wagon.

"What happened here?" de Soto asked.

Don Ricardo stepped forward, "My son and I found a wounded man by the side of the road, about a mile east of here, Alcalde."

De Soto frowned, "Was there any sign of the attackers?"

Don Ricardo shook his head, "No, there wasn't."

De Soto sighed, "Very well, I'll have my men search the area," he said as he turned to Mendoza, "Get the men ready to ride out, Sergeant."

Sergeant Mendoza came to attention, "Si, Alcalde." he replied before he rushed back to the cuartel.

Diego listened to the exchange with growing unease, he knew Zorro had to get to the site where the attack had taken place before the Alcalde and his men; otherwise, they would end up trampling all over the evidence. He turned to Victoria, "Please forgive me, Victoria but I must be getting back to the hacienda. I fear I have forgotten I was to help Felipe with his mathematical studies today." he said.

Victoria shook her head, "But its market day. Everyone should be out and enjoying themselves." she replied.

He smiled, "What better time to practice mathematics, then on market day," he replied, "Adios, Victoria." he added before he moved away towards his horse, placing the piece of paper inside his jacket to study later.

**Z Z Z**

Diego reached the hacienda and immediately made his way to the library, where he pressed the hidden latch on the fireplace mantle. He waited for the secret panel to slide open before he stepped through into the passageway that led to Zorro's lair.

He found Felipe brushing down Toronado's black coat, "Ah Felipe, it's good that you are here." he said as the youth turned to face him and signed.

Diego nodded, "Yes, Zorro is needed but first, can you please keep this piece of paper safe," he said as he pulled the paper from inside his jacket and handed it over to the younger man, "I have a feeling that it is important. It came from a wounded man in the pueblo."

Felipe frowned as he glanced down at the drawing before looked up at Diego, signing his confusion.

Diego chuckled at the confusion on his young friend's face, "Forgive me, Felipe, of course you wouldn't know what happened in the plaza." he said.

He quickly brought the younger man up to date on the events in the plaza, "And I don't know what it means either," he gestured to the paper in Felipe's hand, "But somewhere, somehow this drawing is the key to why a stranger was shot on the road to Los Angeles today." he said.

Felipe nodded and signed his concerns.

Diego nodded, "Yes, Zorro must get to the place of the attack before the Alcalde and his men arrive, otherwise we may never know who shot the stranger." he said as he began changing into Zorro's black outfit, while Felipe moved back to Toronado's stall and quickly but efficiently saddled the great stallion.

In a few short moments, Zorro mounted Toronado, "Gracias amigo." Zorro said with a warm smile to his young friend before he urged his faithful steed out of the cavern.

**Z Z Z**

It did not take Zorro long to reach the site where the attack had taken place. He dismounted and carefully scoured the dusty ground looking for clues. At first, it was hard to distinguish between the tracks he needed from the obvious tracks of Don Roberto's wagon, along with the scuffed boot prints as Don Roberto and his son struggled to place the wounded man into their wagon. But he eventually found three fresh and distinct hoof prints; one of which he assumed correctly was the stranger's horse, which showed he came from the direction of the San Gabriel Mission, while the other two riders had come from the south.

Upon further investigation, he noticed that the two sets of hoof prints led away to the north, "So, the two riders arrived together at this place. Then they attacked the stranger and then they left together," Zorro muttered, as he remounted Toronado, "Let's go boy, we have two attackers to find and bring back to justice." he said as he urged Toronado into a gentle trot and followed the tracks in a northerly direction.

Thirty minutes later Zorro was beginning to suspect that the two men he was tracking, were not common bandits who had simply come across an unsuspecting traveller. They had laid down a series of false trails over the rocky ground and through a number of small streams to cover up their true direction, which lead him to believe the men knew they would be followed.

However, despite their precautions he began to notice a growing number of mistakes; mistakes he did not expect from such expert trackers and he didn't know if they were becoming careless or if they were being extremely cunning. Were they trying to set a trap for him, themselves?

It took time but Zorro eventually found the correct, and to him, a rather obvious trail to follow and it led him back towards the hills southeast of Los Angeles. He rode into the hills and followed the trail to a small, hidden gully, where he came across a semi-deserted campsite. He gazed warily around the area; all his instincts screamed at him that he was riding into an ambush. He dismounted Toronado and walked cautiously down to the still smouldering fire, hoping to find some clues as to the identity of the men he was tracking.

Suddenly, and without any warning, he heard a pistol being cocked behind and above him...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Zorro froze, when he heard the distinctive sound of a pistol being cocked behind him; he did not want to risk his life with any sudden moves, especially without knowing who or what he was dealing with.

"Well, well, look what we have here, Nando, a real live fox." said an amused male voice from high above and to the left of him.

Nando grinned, "Si, a fox that is worth six thousand pesos," he replied, "I didn't think it would be so easy to catch him, eh Carlos?"

"You're right, little brother, I didn't think it would be so easy, especially with his reputation," said Carlos, "Obviously, he's not as canny as a fox after all." he added with a sneer on his face.

Zorro slowly turned around and saw a well dressed man, in his early to mid thirties, standing on a high rocky ledge with a pistol on his hand, while his younger brother stood grinning, several metres in front of him, holding a sword, "It is you, who is caught señores." he said with a pleasant smile on his face.

Carlos grinned, "I don't see anyone else here, Zorro," he replied, "Do you, Nando?"

Nando shook his head, "No, just the three of us."

Zorro grinned, "Are you sure about that?" he asked.

Nando snorted, "Oh, we are very sure. Now, drop your sword Zorro and we'll take you back to Los Angeles. Your reward money is waiting for us to claim."

Zorro's grin broadened, "You can claim it but you will never be able to spend it. Not from inside a prison cell." he predicted before he let out a shrill whistle.

Before Carlos knew what was happening and with a disbelieving Nando watching on, a huge black stallion came charging out of nowhere. Carlos yelled out in fright and instinctively raised his arms to protect himself as the wild beast reared up on his hind legs and knocked the pistol from his hand, which then discharged harmlessly into the air.

Zorro took the distraction to draw his sword and waited for Nando to advance on him, and it wasn't long in coming. He stood grinning, as the younger man came at him with his sword raised high, as though to strike his head off but at the last moment he twisted out of the way, allowing Nando's momentum to put him off balance, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, señor. Didn't your mother ever teach you manners?" He taunted him with a salute of his Toledo blade.

Nando wanted nothing more to do, other than to the wipe that smirk off Zorro's face but he also knew that the bandit's skills far outstripped his own. All he could hope for was to keep Zorro distracted long enough for his brother to deal with the crazy horse. He grinned and saluted the other man with this sword, "At least my mother wouldn't be ashamed of me for wearing a mask." he taunted back.

"No, but she would be ashamed of you for killing a man." Zorro replied as he waited for his opponent's attack.

"So, he's dead then?" Nando asked, as he began to circle the masked bandit, forcing him to move with him. Even if that mad horse pinned down his brother, he still wanted to give Carlos a chance to remove his second pistol from his belt and get into a better position to shoot Zorro.

Zorro watched him warily; he knew what the man was doing but he trusted Toronado to keep Carlos occupied, "So, you admit to the crime then? That's not very clever of you."

Nando growled and immediately went on the offensive once more, this time with a little more success as he fought with the controlled and precise movements that his uncle had taught him. With each attack and counterattack, he grew in confidence as his sword clashed with Zorro's blade in an ever-increasing battle of skills. However, as the fight went on he soon found himself working harder and harder, just to keep ahead of Zorro's skilful manoeuvres.

While Nando was fighting with Zorro, Carlos was growing frustrated at being pinned against the rocks by, of all things, a crazed horse. He couldn't believe that every time he made a move, the stallion reared up to keep him where he was. Those flying hooves had already grazed both his arms as well as his left thigh and he was not going to risk his life against the dead weight of a thousand pound animal, no matter how much his brother needed his help.

Zorro was thoroughly enjoying the duel with Nando; the man was reasonably skilled, if somewhat predictable, with the sword. It had been some time since he last fought against someone who showed a real talent in swordplay, so for a while he simply allowed the duel to continue, just for the sheer joy of fencing.

But eventually, the time had come to stop playing so in a flurry of rapid movements, he quickly disarmed Nando, leaving the other man speechless.

"Good night señor." Zorro said, as he dealt the man with an uppercut punch to his chin, which knocked him out cold. He then proceeded to slash his trademark sign into the unconscious man's jacket before he turned and grinned when he saw his faithful steed keeping the other man occupied; it seemed that he was not the only one having fun.

He raced up to where Toronado was guarding Carlos and grinned down at the man, "Are you ready to give up or should I allow my horse to play with you some more?" he asked.

Carlos scowled up at him, "Just get your damn horse away from me." he growled angrily.

Zorro chuckled, as he patted Toronado's neck to calm the stallion, "Good boy, Toronado." he said as he reached into his saddlebags, pulled out a length of rope and proceeded to tie the man's arms behind his back.

Once done he pulled Carlos up on his feet, "You will find that the Alcalde's prison cells are rather uncomfortable, while you wait for your trial."

Carlos smirked, "I don't think we'll be in the cells long enough to find out." he said confidently, as he was helped onto his horse.

Zorro shook his head at the bravado, as he grabbed the reins of Carlo's horse and walked down to where Nando lay unconscious on the ground. He removed another length of rope from Toronado's saddlebags and efficiently tied Nando before laying him across his horse.

He then mounted Toronado and with the reins of the other two horses tied to his saddlehorn, he started his journey back towards the pueblo of Los Angeles.

**Z Z Z**

Zorro rode into the plaza, leading the two men tied on their horses behind him and as he passed by the tavern, he saw Victoria Escalante standing on the porch talking with her patrons. He raised his fingers in his customary salute to his forehead, "You're looking as beautiful as ever, Senorita." he complimented her, with a roguish smile tugging on his lips.

Victoria felt her cheeks flush, "Gracias, señor." she replied, as she watched him continue riding towards the cuartel, with two men tied to their horses behind him.

As Zorro stopped in front of the cuartel, he saw a somewhat disheartened Sergeant Mendoza and several of his men, riding slowly towards the cuartel, "Buenas dias, Sergeant. I see you had no luck with finding the attackers." he commented.

Sergeant Mendoza shook his head, as he reined in his horse, "No, we couldn't find any sign of them. The Alcalde even split us into separate groups to find...ZORRO!" he exclaimed, as he realised whom he was speaking to, "What are you doing here?"

Zorro grinned, "I understand that it's the Alcalde's birthday soon, so I wanted to give him an early birthday present," he said as he gestured behind him, "These are the two men who attacked the stranger this morning."

Sergeant Mendoza focused his attention on the men behind Zorro for the first time, "You found them?" he asked.

Zorro nodded, "Yes, please take these men to the cells." he said as he untied the reins from his saddle horn and tossed them to Mendoza.

Sergeant Mendoza nodded, "Of course, Zorro," he turned to his men, "Corporal Sepulveda, Private Gomez, take these men to the cells." he ordered as he handed the reins over to them.

"Si Sergeant," they replied.

Mendoza turned back to Zorro, "Gracias, Zorro - " he stopped, as he realised that the masked man was no longer in front of him but was galloping out of the plaza, on his half wild stallion.

**Z Z Z**

Several hours later, Diego and Felipe were sitting at the small table, in the library with several large books lying open around them, both on the table and at their feet. They were studying the piece of paper that Victoria had given him earlier that day, in an effort to discover what the strange drawing meant, if anything.

"Ah Diego, you've been working on that for hours," Don Alejandro said, as he came over to them and stared down at the mess they had created, "What makes you think that it means anything, other than a child's drawing?"

Diego gazed up at his father and he stretched his back; he had been sitting for far too long in one place, "It could well be a child's scribble but somewhere, somehow, I've seen something like this before. I just can't remember where or what it was," he replied, "Perhaps the stranger will be able to shed some light on it, when he recovers."

Don Alejandro shook his head, "I'm sorry son but I've just heard. The stranger did not recover from his wounds," he replied, "The padre is making arrangements for him to be buried in the pueblo's cemetery."

Diego leant back in his chair and sighed, "So, the two men that Zorro captured earlier are to stand trial for murder," he commented before he gazed at his father once more, "Do you know if the stranger say anything before he died?" he asked curiously.

The older man shrugged, "According to Doctor Hernandez, he uttered the name Maxima or Maximo. He wasn't sure which one."

Diego nodded thoughtfully, "Was that his name? And do you know what happened to his belongings?" he asked.

"Apparently his name was Lorenzo Aragón and as to his belongings, the Alcalde has them in his office. De Soto, himself, found his horse wandering not far from where the attack happened," Don Alejandro replied, "But the strangest thing about this, was the man still had his money pouch on him. It had a large amount of money it in."

Diego frowned in confusion, "So, they didn't rob him then?" he asked, as he exchanged a quick glance with Felipe. If it wasn't robbery then what was the reason for the attack and subsequent death of Aragón?

Don Alejandro shrugged, "Perhaps they were interrupted before they could steal the money," he replied absently as he gazed around the cluttered table, "You may have done all this for nothing, son." he said.

Diego turned his gaze to books on the table and the floor, "You maybe right, father." he replied.

But deep inside, he still believed the drawing of a long stick, with a curved handle and a forked end, had something to do with the death of Aragón. It would take time and a lot of patience, to discover the secret of Lorenzo Aragón and the reason for his death.

And he knew one place, where some of those secrets could be uncovered.

**Z Z Z**

Later that night Zorro climbed up onto the roof of the cuartel and carefully crept over the tiled roof until he reached the small skylight window, which marked the location of the Alcalde's office. He peered through the window and saw a single candle burning on the Alcalde's desk but de Soto, himself, was nowhere to be seen.

He removed his dagger from inside his left boot and carefully prised open the window with the sharp tip of the blade. Once he had the window opened, he replaced his knife and with one last glance down into the empty room, he lowered himself down to the first of the large wooden support beams before he leapt nimbly down to the floor.

After a quick glance around the room, Zorro crossed swiftly over to the Alcalde's desk where he picked up the large inkpot. He grinned when he saw a small key lying underneath, "No imagination, Alcalde." he muttered to himself, as he turned around to the cabinet and unlocked it.

He soon found Aragón's belongings; a money pouch, which he estimated held at least five hundred pesos and a small leather wallet, which held his identification papers. And just as his father advised him, the man's name had been Lorenzo Aragón and from his travel documents, had recently arrived from Spain. As he held the leather wallet, it felt thicker than usual and as he carefully scrutinised it, he saw a cleverly hidden pocket sown inside the cover. He reached inside and pulled out another piece of paper.

He was so engrossed in reading this new piece of the puzzle that he did not hear de Soto enter the room behind him, until it was too late...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

"How low can a man go, to steal from a dead man's belongings," de Soto sneered, "You really are despicable, Zorro." he growled as he cocked his pistol and aimed it at his enemy's back.

Zorro silently cursed himself for being careless for the second time that day; first the brothers had managed to trap him at the campsite and now de Soto had done the same. He slowly turned around and faced the Alcalde, "Then I am in good company, eh Alcalde." he said with a grin.

De Soto snorted, "That company will come to an end at the moment of your death. Now move." he said as he gestured to the doorway that led to the cells.

Zorro stood still, "Wouldn't you like to know what I discovered?"

He laughed derisively, "What could you have found that I would be interested in?"

"That Lorenzo Aragón was a Spanish Government official, who was murdered for some yet unidentified reason."

De Soto frowned, "What are you talking about?"

Zorro held up the piece of paper, "I found this hidden in his leather wallet," he replied, "It states that Aragón was, in fact, a Comandante in La Guardia Real."

"What!" de Soto exclaimed in disbelief, "He was a member of the Royal Guards! Give me that." he ordered as he held out his free hand.

Zorro remained where he was and silently motioned to the pistol that de Soto still held in his hand; he wasn't going to hand over anything, not while he was at the business end of a loaded gun.

"Oh, very well but don't get any ideas of grabbing it." de Soto said as he uncocked the weapon and placed it on his desk.

Zorro grinned, "I wouldn't dream of it, Alcalde." he replied as he handed the paper over to de Soto and watched, with interest, the emotions that played over the older man's face.

De Soto read the identification carefully and as he held it up to the light to confirm the King's watermark, he was in no doubt as to the authenticity of the paper and of the seriousness of the situation. A member of the King's personal guards had been killed, perhaps murdered on the orders of an unknown person and it happened in the area that was under his control, "Madre de dios, those two brothers in the cells were - " he stopped as he gazed at his archenemy.

"- were responsible for the death of a Comandante in the King's Royal Guards, a position which I believe outranks yours, Alcalde." Zorro said.

De Soto nodded, "Si, it does." he replied worriedly. Not only did a Comandante outrank him but as a high ranking officer in the King's personal guards, it meant Aragón had the confidence of the King, himself. The repercussions of not solving the murder of the officer was something he did not wish to contemplate; not if he wanted to continue with his current position as Alcalde, let alone, any chance of future promotion.

Zorro frowned under his mask, "Have the brothers said anything?"

The other man sighed and shook his head, "Only that they wouldn't be in the cells long enough to get to trial," he replied, "It's just their bravado talking, nothing else."

"Perhaps," Zorro paused as an idea began to form in his mind, "You must agree that the killing of a member of the Royal Guards, is much larger than either of us –"

"Don't be too sure about that, Zorro." de Soto growled in annoyance.

Zorro grinned, "We can debate that at another time, Alcalde," he replied, "I believe that the killing of Aragón was not a random attack, for no attacker would leave behind a purse with five hundred pesos in it."

De Soto nodded in agreement, "That's true," he replied, "Go on."

Zorro started to pace in front of the desk, as he voiced his thoughts, "So, with his money untouched and the brothers believing that they won't even get to trial, we must, therefore, assume that the attack on Aragón was initiated by third party," he said, "Perhaps it was related to his military position within the Royal Guards."

De Soto let out a slow breath as he thought about it, "That is logical," he commented, "But then that begs the question, what was Aragón doing here?"

Zorro nodded, "Exactly," he replied as he stopped his pacing and gazed at his rival, "We need to discover what he was doing here and once we know that, we can bring the real perpetrator to justice." he stopped. He did not think that de Soto was going to like what he had to say, "And in order to do that, we need to put aside our differences and work together to solve this mystery."

De Soto narrowed his eyes, "Just what are you saying?" he asked suspiciously, "Are you asking for a...a...truce between us."

Zorro nodded, "Si, a truce."

"Hmmm." de Soto murmured as he stroked his beard thoughtfully. If he agreed to the truce, it would mean that the masked bandit would do the work, while he would claim the glory of capturing the person or people responsible for the death of Aragón, "And afterwards?" he wanted to know.

Zorro grinned as he spread his arms out, "We will go back to our friendly rivalry." he replied.

De Soto snorted, "Friendly rivalry indeed," he muttered under his breath, "Very well Zorro, I agree to a truce but only until the killer is caught. Agreed?"

Zorro nodded, "Agreed."

"I imagine that you already have something in mind?" de Soto asked.

The masked man grinned, "As a matter of fact, I do. Now here's what I would like you to do..."

**Z Z Z**

The following day, Don Alejandro rode into the pueblo just as Sergeant Mendoza and his men rode hurriedly out in the opposite direction. He pulled Dulcinea to a stop outside the tavern where Senorita Victoria was serving lunch to several patrons, "Buenos dias, Victoria." he greeted her as he dismounted.

Victoria turned and smiled warmly at the older man, "Buenos dias, Don Alejandro."

"Where are the lancers going in such a hurry?" he asked as he tied the reins loosely around the railing before he walked over to where she was standing.

She sighed, "You know those two men that Zorro brought in yesterday for killing Señor Aragón," she paused as he nodded, "Well, they've escaped from the cells." she replied.

"What!" he exclaimed in shock, "When did that happen?" he asked.

She shrugged, "No one knows," she replied, "When I went to collect their empty breakfast trays, about three hours ago, they were still in their cells. But when Mendoza went to check on them, only ten minutes ago, they were gone."

He shook his head in disgust, "Zorro won't be impressed with the incompetence of our lancers, especially if he has to go out and find them again."

She shook her head, "No, he won't be," she paused as she gazed around, "By the way, where is Diego and Felipe, are they not coming today?" she asked curiously. It was unusual for Diego and Felipe, not to accompany the older man when he came into town, especially around lunchtime.

Don Alejandro chuckled, "No, they are still sleeping or they were, when I left the hacienda early this morning. I had some ranch business to attend to and I had been hoping that Diego would come with me. But when I checked on him, he was fast asleep," he paused as he shook his head, "Apparently, they stayed up all night studying that piece of paper you gave him yesterday. You should have seen the mess they created as they tried to work out what it meant."

Victoria was surprised; she hadn't given any more thought to the paper, "They worked on it all night? But surely it's just a child's drawing?"

He shrugged, "Perhaps but I've never seen them so engrossed by a simple drawing before." he replied with a smile.

She shook her head in amusement, "Well, I just hope that after all the time they've spend on it, they do discover what it means, otherwise it would be all for nothing."

He smiled, "So do I." he replied as he gazed around at the patrons sitting on the porch, "I don't suppose you have seen Don Ricardo or Don Cesar or even Don Emilio by any chance. I was to meet them here for lunch today." he asked her.

She smiled warmly; all four men were great friends, "I'm sorry but I haven't seen them." she replied.

He sighed, "I guess everyone is running late today," he replied, "I have a few errands to run first and perhaps by the time I return, they'll be here. And if they do, can you please let them know that I will be with them shortly."

She nodded, "Of course I will."

"Gracias, Victoria," he said as he saw de Soto emerging from his office with a scowl on his face, "You know, I wouldn't want to be in his shoes when Zorro finds out that those men escaped." he commented before he walked away towards the blacksmith.

"Never would I." she said to herself.

**Z Z Z**

Zorro had been following the two brothers from the time of their so-called escape, over three hours ago, and was amazed once again by the lengths they went through to hide their tracks. First, just as they had done previously, they headed north of the pueblo riding across open ground, which did nothing to conceal their tracks, to the rocky outcrops of Devil's Canyon, which barely left any trace of the direction they went in. They crossed several small streams before doubling back several times as they laid down false trails and until finally they headed back in a southeasterly direction.

He knew that the pueblo lancers were not up to the task of tracking these men, through no fault of their own but they simply did not have the expertise or even the patience that was required to follow all the trails, no matter where it ended. Even he would have had trouble following the tracks, if he was not watching them from a distance. He was beginning to believe the brothers had some kind of military training to execute such a sophisticated plan of deception. Or perhaps they had experience as Indian guides or trackers. But whatever it was, his respect for their skills grew.

Yet, he was surprised when he realised the men were heading towards the same region where he had first found them; in the hills east of the pueblo. He did not understand why they would return there. Surely, they knew it would be an obvious place to start any search or perhaps that was what they counted on; that no one would think they would actually return there and so they felt safe by doing so.

However, as he watched through his telescope from his vantage point on a high ridge, the two brothers changed direction again, this time to the southwest. With this latest change in direction, they had all but circled the pueblo from north to south and this confirmed his earlier suspicions; that the brothers were not acting on their own violation. For if they had killed the Comandante on their own, why would they stay in the region where every lancer would be looking for them? The only conclusion was that there someone else was involved and that someone lived in the district.

As he urged Toronado onwards, he was about to discover who that person was.

* * *

><p><strong>AN** - I want to thank my Facebook friends for their support, who helped me to take a step back and see things in a different way.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Zorro reined Toronado to a halt, amongst a small grove of trees and watched with growing concern as the two brothers rode towards the large hacienda belonging to Don Cesar. He knew that action in itself, didn't mean that his father's friend was in any way involved in the murder of a member of the King's Royal Guards but it did cast suspicions on the man; a man, who had only been in the district for just over a year, after moving north from Mexico City.

As he watched, the door of the sprawling home opened and out stepped Don Cesar, who appeared to be waiting for brothers. And from what Zorro could see, it seemed that the older man knew the men; he waited with impatience and even some hostility in his body language. He felt a wave of anger and hurt that his father's friend was indeed involved in the crime.

He needed to hear what Don Cesar would say to the killers, so he quickly urged Toronado away from the cover of the trees and towards the left side of the hacienda. He dismounted before he silently and carefully made his way along the outer wall of the home, in time to hear Don Cesar reprimanding the brothers, "Why did you come back here, you fools. Someone could have followed you."

"You still owe us the rest of the money for killing Aragón. Or had you forgotten that, Don Cesar?" Nando glared down at the caballero, "Besides, no one could have followed the tracks that we laid down."

Don Cesar snorted, "Zorro found you before."

Carlos grinned, "Only because we wanted him to."

Don Cesar shook his head, "And look what happened, you were caught by Zorro instead of capturing him for the reward money," he replied with derision in his voice, "You should have left the area straight away, rather than risking everything for an extra six thousand pesos."

Nando shrugged, "It was a risk we were willing to take," he replied, "Now hand over the money, Don Cesar." he ordered as he casually placed his hand on his pistol.

Don Cesar sighed as he reached into his jacket, pulled out a heavy leather pouch and threw it up to Carlos, "How did you get out of the cells anyway?" he asked.

Carlos grinned as he caught the money pouch, "Luckily for us those stupid lancers didn't lock the cell doors properly, after we had our breakfast this morning."

Don Cesar shook his head, "The incompetency of the pueblo's lancers is beyond belief."

Nando narrowed his eyes, "Would you have left us there, to be hanged?"

Don Cesar turned his gaze to the younger and the more dangerous of the two brothers, "Of course not," he replied, "The moment I heard about your capture, I began making arrangements to get you out. It was in both our interests to do so."

"Well, that doesn't matter anymore," Carlos said, "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Don Cesar but now if you don't mind, we'll be on our way," he said as he glanced at his brother who nodded, "And if you ever require our services again, you know where to find us. Adios" he added before he kicked the sides of his horse and cantered away with Nando behind him.

Zorro had heard enough. He turned and remounted Toronado before he raced after the brothers; he was not going to let two hired killers get away with murder. He would deal with his father's friend later; he needed more information on why Don Cesar Quintana would hire two men to kill Comandante Aragón before he turned him over to de Soto for trial and punishment.

**Z Z Z**

Later that afternoon, Victoria was standing behind the bar when Diego and Felipe entered the tavern. She smiled warmly as they came up to her, "Hola Diego, Felipe," she said, "I heard that you had stayed up all night with that piece of paper I gave you. Did you get anywhere with it?"

He shook his head as he leant against the bar, "Unfortunately, we did not." he replied with a smile.

"That's too bad," she replied, "Do you still believe it has something to do with the death of Señor Aragón?" she asked curiously.

He shrugged as he gazed around the room and his eyes narrowed when he saw Don Cesar, sitting with his father and his friends, Don Ricardo and Don Emilio, "Perhaps." he replied absently.

Victoria leant forward, "Did you hear that Zorro recaptured those brothers after they escaped from the cells earlier today?"

He turned his attention back to the beautiful young woman, "Really. That is good news. I daresay Zorro wasn't happy that he had to chase after them again."

She shook her head, "No, I don't think he would be. I wouldn't want to be in de Soto's shoes when he sees Zorro again." She replied.

"Neither would I -"

"Diego, Felipe." Don Alejandro called out to his son.

He gave his father a small wave before he turned and smiled at Victoria, "Please excuse us, Victoria but father is calling us over." he said with smile.

"Of course," she replied as she watched Diego and Felipe walk over to the table.

"Father, gentlemen," Diego greeted them as he and Felipe sat down, "Victoria was just telling us that Zorro had recaptured the men who killed Senor Aragón." he said, carefully watching Don Cesar out of the corner of his eye. He noticed a small twitch on the older man's cheek at the mention of Aragón's name.

Don Ricardo nodded, "Si, that's right Diego," he replied, "You should have seen the look of triumph on de Soto's face when Sergeant Mendoza brought the men in, after he found them tied to their horses just outside the pueblo. You would think that he captured them himself and not Zorro." he added with a grin.

"Well, you know he would never acknowledge that Zorro helps him with the security of our pueblo." Don Cesar commented casually as he sipped his drink.

Don Alejandro nodded, "That's true. He wants the glory of capturing bandits for himself."

Diego shrugged, "Perhaps Zorro doesn't care about the glory, father. He just wants justice, even for those who commit crimes." he said innocently and again he saw Don Cesar's cheek twitch.

"That's true son -"

"Excuse me gentlemen, can I get you anything else?" Victoria asked as she came and stood beside them.

Diego smiled as he turned his attention to Victoria, "I wouldn't mind some of your lemonade." he said.

"Of course and Felipe, would you like some lemonade too." she asked the younger man, being careful to face him so he could read her lips.

Felipe grinned and nodded.

"Anything else?" she and when she didn't get any more orders, "Right, two lemonades then." she said with a smile and left the men to their conversation.

"So, Cesar, I understand that you have recently acquired another original painting by Goya," Don Emilio commented, "To add to your growing collection of not only art works but also your collection of books. You'll soon have more books than Diego." he added with a teasing glance at the younger man.

Don Cesar chuckled, "Oh, I don't know about that. From what I hear, I'll need to buy many more books to surpass Diego's collection."

Don Cesar's acting ability impressed Diego. Only two hours ago, the older man had calmly paid two men to kill another and yet here he was, laughing about his latest acquisition. The man must be insane, he mused to himself. "So, Don Cesar, what new books do you have?" he asked.

Don Cesar smiled at the younger man, "I have the latest French edition of Napoleon's expedition into Egypt, 'The Description of Egypt.'" he replied.

Diego raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Really, I wouldn't mind reading that sometime, Don Cesar. I have a fondness for history." he said. Suddenly, the image of that strange drawing flashed into his mind, at Don Cesar's mention of Egypt. It triggered a memory of a new book he had recently received, "I'm sorry father, gentlemen but I need to check on something at The Guardian Office. Please excuse me." he said as he rose hastily from his seat, gestured to Felipe to follow him before he strode out of the tavern.

Don Alejandro shook his head as he watched his son leave, "I will never understand my son." he mumbled to himself.

"Did your father understand you, Alejandro?" Don Ricardo said with a grin.

Don Alejandro chuckled, "Actually, he didn't," he replied, "I guess that's just the way it is between fathers and sons."

Victoria came up to them carrying the drinks for Diego and Felipe, "Where did they go?" she asked curiously.

"Diego said he needed to check on something at the newspaper office." Don Alejandro replied.

"Will they be back for their drinks?" she wanted to know.

Don Alejandro shrugged, "I don't know," he replied, "Why don't you leave the drinks here, Victoria, in case they return." he suggested.

She smiled, "Of course." she replied as she placed the drinks on the table in front of Don Alejandro before she left them to attend to her other patrons.

**Z Z Z**

Felipe watched as Diego searched through his desk drawers and when he caught the older man's eyes, he signed.

"I'm looking for a book." Diego replied vaguely as he moved over to the large cabinet, in the corner of the office, and started searching amongst the papers. "Aha, here it is." he said as he pulled a large book from under a pile of old newspapers and returned to his desk, "I think I know what this drawing is now." he said as he pulled out the piece of paper from inside his jacket and placed it beside the book on his desk.

The younger man stood beside his mentor and signed.

Diego nodded as he began flipping through the pages, "When Don Cesar said he had a book on Napoleon's action in Egypt, it made me remember this book. As you recall from your history lesson, Napoleon took many hundreds of writers and artists with him to Egypt, with orders to write a complete history of the country. He also wanted them to try and translate their strange picture writing called hieroglyphics," he paused as Felipe nodded his understanding before he continued, "In 1799, Napoleon's troops discovered the Rosetta Stone and over the last twenty years, it has been studied in France and England, in an effort to discover the meaning of the hieroglyphs. Several papers have been published, with each author believing that they have translated it."

Felipe frowned and gestured to the piece of paper and signed his confusion.

"Do I think that this drawing is actually a word in another language?" Diego asked with a smile.

Felipe nodded.

"That is what I am hoping for." he replied. He looked back down at the current page he was on and frowned slightly, "I believe I have found it. What do you think?" he asked as he pointed out the section in the book to Felipe.

Felipe moved closer to the table and spent several moments studying both the book and the piece of paper. He noticed a similarity between them, even if the drawing on the paper wasn't as precise as the diagram in the book. He looked up at Diego and signed his agreement.

Diego nodded, "Yes, it does look very similar." he confirmed.

The younger man gestured to the pictures and then signed open hand, palms up, to Diego.

"What is it?" Diego interpreted correctly, "Well, this picture shows a staff with some kind of animal head on top and a fork at the other end," he said as he pointed to the book, "The author believes that this is a symbol of leadership, a symbol of a ruler or a king. In another words it is a sceptre."

Felipe frowned slightly, as he remembered his history of Kings and Queens. He raised his hands to his head, as though he was placing on a hat before moved his hands in front of him and made as though he was holding a large stick.

Diego smiled, "Yes, that's exactly right, Felipe. A sceptre, along with a crown and other items, are used by Kings and Queens to symbolise their reign and power over their subjects."

Felipe grinned, pleased that he remembered correctly. He gestured once more to the piece of paper and made his sign for a man.

Diego sighed, "That is the real question, isn't it. Why was Comandante Aragón carrying a picture of a sceptre?" he asked rhetorically, "It seems we are still missing a large piece of the puzzle."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

The following morning Ignacio de Soto was in his office, working on the necessary evils of his command; paperwork. He had just completed the monthly audit of the garrison's account books, when there was a knock on his door.

"Enter." he said.

Sergeant Mendoza entered and came to attention in front of the desk, "Alcalde, there is someone here to see you." he said.

De Soto looked up from his desk, "Who is it?" he asked.

"He said his name was Santos Olvera." Mendoza replied.

De Soto frowned slightly, "I don't know anyone by that name," he said, "I'm busy at the moment, tell him to wait over at the tavern and I'll see him when I can."

Mendoza shifted uneasy on his feet, "He said it was very important, Alcalde. He is very persistent about seeing you."

He sighed, "Oh very well then, show him in."

"Si, Alcalde." Mendoza snapped to attention once more before he stepped outside the office, "Señor, the Alcalde will see you now." he said.

"Gracias, Sergeant." Olvera said as he walked into the office and closed the door behind him, "Alcalde de Soto?"

De Soto nodded as he gazed at the young man standing in front of him, "I'm the Alcalde. Can I help you?"

Olvera reached into his jacket and pulled out a small leather wallet, "I am Capitan Santos Olvera and I'm an officer in La Guardia Real." he said as he handed over his credentials, "I believe my commanding officer, Comandante Aragón is already here."

De Soto was dumbfounded as he took the official papers from the Capitan and checked, then confirmed their authenticity; having one officer from the Royal Guards in the pueblo was extraordinary but two of them was unheard of.

He handed back the papers, "Capitan Olvera, I'm sorry to have to inform you but Comandante Aragón was attacked two days ago and he died from his wounds, shortly thereafter."

Olvera closed his eyes for a moment before he sat down heavily on the chair opposite de Soto, "Madre de dios," he muttered, "Did he say anything before he died?"

"He said a name, either Maximo or Maxima."

The Capitan sighed and shook his head, "So, he was right after all," he said quietly, "He got too close and it cost him his life," he paused to gather his thoughts, "Do you have the person who killed him?"

De Soto nodded, "Si, I have two brothers who were responsible for his death, locked up in my cells," he replied as he leant forward, "Just what is going on, Capitan?" he asked.

Olvera gazed intently at de Soto; he knew the man's reputation, or rather the lack of, when it came to keeping order in his pueblo, "What makes you believe that there is something going on, Alcalde?" he asked casually.

De Soto snorted, "Please don't insult my intelligence, Capitan Olvera. I have one officer from the Royal Guards buried in our small cemetery. I have the two killers in my cells and now I have a second officer from the same organisation, sitting in my office. If that doesn't mean that something isn't going on then I don't know what will."

Olvera raised an eyebrow at the outburst, "Have you discussed this with anyone else?"

De Soto hesitated.

"Who have you discussed this with, Alcalde? I don't need to remind you that I, as a Capitan in the King's Royal Guards, outrank you, do I?" he said in a voice that brooked no argument.

He sighed, "No, you don't have to remind me. I know all too well you outrank me," he paused as he ran his fingers through his hair, "I have discussed this with...Zorro." he reluctantly admitted.

"Zorro!" Capitan Olvera exclaimed incredulously but not entirely unexpected. The reputation of Zorro's fighting skills had reached even the Royal Guards, "Did he capture the killers by any chance?" he asked with some amusement in his voice.

De Soto fidgeted with his quill before answering, "With the help of my lancers." he replied.

"Of course. Look de Soto, I am not concerned with your duties here in Los Angeles but with a very important task for our Government and if I have to work with the bandit Zorro to complete my mission, then I will do so," he paused as he leant forward, "I want you to bring Zorro here to me."

"Bring Zorro to you!" de Soto spluttered, "I can't even find him, let alone bring him to you."

Olvera sighed; the man had no imagination when it came to dealing with criminals, which was probably why he had never captured the bandit, "Surely you must know who Zorro's greatest supporters are. Just tell them that you want Zorro to come here, and make sure you stress that the meeting is to take place under a flag of truce."

De Soto leant back in his chair and stroked his beard thoughtfully, "There are several people that come to mind. First there is Senorita Escalante who owns the tavern and there is also the de la Vegas," he replied, "But I don't believe they are in contact with the bandit."

"It doesn't matter, as long as the word gets out, he will eventually hear of it."

De Soto nodded, "Very well, I'll get my lancers to spread the word."

**Z Z Z**

Zorro reined Toronado to a halt beside the rear wall of the cuartel. He stood up on his saddle before he pulled himself up onto the roof and keeping himself low, he crept over the tiles until he came to the skylight and peered down inside the Alcalde's office. He grinned when he saw de Soto sitting calmly at his desk; well he would not be calm for much longer, he mused to himself as he opened the window and nimbly leapt down to the floor.

"I understand you wanted to see me, Alcalde." he said with a large grin.

De Soto jumped as he always did whenever his enemy appeared, "I wish you stop doing that." he hissed angrily.

Zorro bowed his head, "Forgive me Alcalde."

De Soto snorted, "You don't sound particularly apologetic."

Zorro grinned, "I doubt that you asked me here, to give a lesson in sincerity, Alcalde."

He shook his head, "No I didn't. It's about that matter we discussed before," he paused as he gathered his thoughts, "This morning, I had a visit from another officer of the King's Royal Guards, and it was he who requested this meeting, not me."

Zorro's eyes widened in surprise, "Where is he?" Whatever he had been expecting, it had not been this.

"Right here, Zorro."

Zorro's hand immediately went to the hilt of his sword as he turned to watch a tall, well-dressed man, who appeared to be in his mid thirties, emerge from the doorway that led from the cells.

Capitan Olvera stopped and watched the masked bandit warily, "Zorro, I give you my word that I am not here to arrest you."

Zorro forced himself to relax but kept a watchful eye on both men, "The Alcalde said that you are from the Royal Guards?"

"That's correct, here are my papers." Olvera replied as he slowly reached into his jacket, removed his credentials and handed them over to the masked bandit.

Zorro took the papers and carefully examined them before he handed them back, "Welcome to Los Angeles, Capitan." he said with a smile.

"Thank you, Zorro."

De Soto leant back in his chair, "So, now that everyone is here, are you going to tell us why I have two officers of the King's personal guards in my pueblo?"

Olvera nodded, "I will but first, tell me what you know about the killing of my commanding officer." he said as he sat down on the chair opposite de Soto.

Zorro gazed at de Soto, "If I may, Alcalde."

De Soto shrugged, "Be my guest."

Zorro moved closer to the men, "Two days ago, Comandante Lorenzo Aragón was attacked by two brothers, who had been hired by Don Cesar Quintana to kill -"

"What!" de Soto interrupted, "Don Cesar is the killer and you didn't tell me or bring him here." he fumed angrily.

"I don't have all the facts, Alcalde. I couldn't bring him in without proof." Zorro replied, equally annoyed.

Capitan Olvera held up his hand, "Enough both of you. Just continue with what you know Zorro."

Zorro nodded, "As I was saying, Don Cesar paid the brothers to kill the Comandante, for what purpose I don't fully understand," he said, "But I believe it has something to do with this drawing that he had on him." he said. He pulled out the piece of paper from inside his shirt and placed it on the desk, "This is a drawing of a sceptre is it not? My guess is that since Don Cesar is a collector of fine paintings, sculptures and other artefacts, he is looking to acquire a sceptre."

The young Capitan let out a long breath, "Not just to acquire a sceptre but to steal one."

De Soto frowned as he gazed at the drawing and wondered where Zorro had obtained it; it had not been in Lorenzo's belongings, "What do you mean, steal one?"

Olvera picked up the paper and thought about his options; he needed help to capture Quintana and that meant he had to tell them of his mission, "What I am about to tell you must not go beyond these walls. And if it does, nothing will save either of you, from the hangman's noose," he paused as he gazed at de Soto and Zorro and saw their nods of agreement, "Almost two years ago there was a daring theft from the Royal Chapel in Granada. The thieves stole both the Crown and Sceptre belonging to Queen Isabella I -"

"Madre de dios, you can't be serious! The Royal Chapel is like a fortress. How could anyone get in there, let alone steal the Crown and Sceptre! Even the French left them there." de Soto exclaimed in shock.

"It doesn't matter how they did it," Olvera said, "What mattered was that our Crown Jewels were stolen."

Zorro was just as dumbfounded as de Soto, "And you believe that Don Cesar was behind the theft?"

The Capitan nodded, "The day after the theft, we discovered three men near the grounds of the Royal Chapel; they had all been shot but luckily for us one of them was still alive. Before he died, we were able to obtain enough information from him, to track down the man who hired them; an art dealer and collector by the name of Maximo Fuentes. We surprised him at his home preparing to leave but in the ensuring fight, he escaped. However, in his haste he actually left behind Queen Isabella's Crown but unfortunately not the Sceptre."

De Soto shook his head in disbelief, he never imagined anything like this, "How did you connect Maximo Fuentes to Don Cesar Quintana?"

"It took many months of tedious work, to question all of Fuentes friends and associates. Over the years, he had made a number of enemies and it just took one of them to turn against him to provide us with his true name and address. After a thorough search of Quintana's home, we found evidence that he owed a hacienda in Mexico City and had been shipping a number of large crates filled with artwork, to that address over a ten-year period. With all the evidence gathered against him, we convinced the King that Quintana had come out to the colonies, albeit under a different name. The King ordered Comandante Aragón and myself, along with four of our most loyal men, to travel to Mexico City to track him down, recover the Sceptre and return them both to Spain."

There was a moment of silence as both de Soto and Zorro grappled with the incredible news of the theft of Queen Isabella's Golden Sceptre.

"So, how did you track Don Cesar from Mexico City to Los Angeles?" Zorro wanted to know, "Surely he would have used a completely differently name once more."

Olvera nodded as he shifted slightly in his chair, "That's true, he used three separate names but we were able to track down each one of them. In Mexico City, we found that he had sold his large home and that he was relocating to Alta California. He travelled first to San Francisco, where he stayed for a month before he boarded another ship to Santa Barbara, where he changed his name back to Cesar Quintana.

Then we discovered he had paid a visit the San Gabriel Mission, many months prior to our arrival and the Comandante went to the mission himself to follow up on that lead, while I stayed behind in Santa Barbara with our men. Two days ago, I received a message from him, confirming that Quintana was in the Los Angeles area and he requested me, to meet him here. I came as soon as I could while my men will be here in a day or so."

Zorro frowned, "How did Quintana know that he was being followed? He knew enough to hire those men to kill your commanding officer. And what about you, you too are at risk."

Olvera shrugged, "We were always careful in our questions but there was the risk that one of us would ask the wrong question to the wrong person, and then it would only be a matter of time before Quintana found out. I guess it was easier to attack the Comandante on a remote road, then in a larger town like Santa Barbara."

De Soto shook his head, "So, how do we get the Sceptre and arrest Quintana," he said, "It's not like that we can march straight into his home and demand that he hand it over."

Zorro grinned, "That's precisely what we will do." he replied.

Capitan Olvera smiled slowly as the idea caught on, "Yes, that is what we will do. Or perhaps more precisely, what YOU will do, Alcalde." he replied while de Soto sat confused at his desk.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

Don Cesar was standing beside his desk, in his private rooms, admiring the most beautiful and priceless object in his collection; the Golden Sceptre of Queen Isabella I. No matter how many times he opened the satin lined case to view the metre long staff with the cluster of leaves around the top, he never became tired of admiring the outstanding workmanship of the silver with gold overlay.

It was an extremely dangerous item to have; it would mean his execution for treason against the Spanish Crown, if he were discovered. However, the risk was worth it just to own this exquisite piece of silverwork. From the moment he first saw the Sceptre at the Royal Chapel, over twenty years ago, he knew he had to have it and would do anything to get it, up to and including murder. It would take pride of place in his collection of other priceless artefacts that he had obtained over the years; some he paid good money for, while others he acquired in less than honest dealings.

There was a knock on his door, "Excuse me Patron but the Alcalde and his men are here," his housekeeper said worriedly, "They are waiting in the foyer for you."

He closed the case, replaced it in the hidden alcove, which was located behind his desk before he moved over to his door and opened it, "Thank you, Señora." he said as he stepped out of his room and shut the door behind him.

He strode briskly down the hallway to the foyer of his home and saw de Soto standing in the main entrance with the lancers behind him, "Can I help you Alcalde?" he asked casually.

De Soto gazed coldly at the thief who had stolen their Queen's jewels and had arranged the death of at least four men, "I am here to search your hacienda and all surrounding buildings, Don Cesar," he paused as he turned to Mendoza, "Take you men and search everywhere." he ordered.

Mendoza came to attention, "Si Alcalde," he replied before he turned to his men, "You heard the Alcalde, search everywhere." he ordered as the lancers spread out and began their search for the painting that the Alcalde believed to have been stolen by Don Cesar.

"You can't come into my home like this." Don Cesar fumed angrily.

"Actually I can, I'm the Alcalde of this pueblo and I don't need your permission to execute my duties." de Soto replied smugly.

Don Cesar gritted his teeth at de Soto's choice of words, "Then will you tell me what you are looking for."

De Soto ignored him and yelled out, "Find anything yet, Mendoza?"

Sergeant Mendoza came rushing back to his commanding officer, "Nothing yet, Alcalde." he said.

De Soto just nodded, "Make sure you search all rooms, including Don Cesar's private quarters."

"Si, Alcalde." replied Mendoza before he scurried back to his men.

Don Cesar frowned as he began to wonder if the brothers had actually informed on him but if that were the case, then the Alcalde would have simply arrested him without the need to search his home. He just hoped that the bumbling lancers would not find the hidden alcove by accident.

De Soto gazed around at the various paintings and sculptures that lined the walls, "You have some nice things, Don Cesar." he commented.

"They are not just things, Alcalde, they are ART," he fumed, "It's not something I would expect a common soldier to understand."

De Soto smiled, "Perhaps not, Don Cesar." he replied, not at all insulted.

Sergeant Mendoza strode into the room and came to attention, "I'm sorry Alcalde, we have searched the hacienda and the outbuildings but we were unable to find what you were looking for."

De Soto sighed, "Thank you, Sergeant," he turned to the older man and bowed his head, "Please accept my apologies, Don Cesar but I had to do my duty, no matter how distasteful it can be on occasion."

Don Cesar was furious, "Just get out of my home, de Soto." he roared.

De Soto bowed his head once more, "Of course. Sergeant Mendoza, get the men and prepare to return to Los Angeles." he ordered as he strode out the front door with the lancers behind him.

Once de Soto and his men had gone, Don Cesar strode hurriedly back to his private rooms; he had to confirm whether the lancers had discovered the hiding place. He entered his room, closed the door behind him before he crossed over to his desk and pressed the hidden catch. He sighed with relief when he saw the case was still within the alcove. He reached inside, removed it and then opened it to find the golden staff nestled inside.

It was then when he felt a sharp point prodding his back, "I don't believe that item belongs to you Señor." Zorro said casually.

Don Cesar snapped the case shut before he slowly turned around to face Zorro and saw another man standing beside him, "How did you get in here?" he asked as the blood drained from his face.

Zorro grinned as he held his sword near Don Cesar's chest, "Don't you know Don Cesar, that these old haciendas have many secret entrances," he replied before he gently nudged him in the chest with his sword, "Now if you would be so kind as to hand over that case." he said.

"I will not!" Don Cesar exclaimed, "This is my property –" he stopped as the point of Zorro's blade shifted closer to his throat.

"I won't ask again Señor." Zorro said coldly.

Don Cesar scowled but handed the case over.

Capitan Olvera stepped forward, took the case from Don Cesar and carefully opened it. He gave a small gasp of reverence as he saw Queen Isabella's Golden Sceptre laying in the silk lined case.

"Is it what you are looking for Capitan?" Zorro asked as he kept his gaze on Don Cesar.

Olvera nodded, "Yes it is, Zorro," he replied as he closed the case and turned his attention back to the thief, "Don Cesar Quintana, I hereby arrest you for treason against the Spanish Crown, for the murder of Comandante Lorenzo Aragón. As well as for the murders of Señores Morales, Gonzales and Torres in Granada and a half a dozen other lesser charges that will be laid against you," he stated firmly before he crossed the room to the open window and yelled out, "Alcalde de Soto, please bring your men back inside."

Don Cesar took advantage of the distraction that Olvera's movement caused and took a step backwards away from Zorro's sword before he darted over to the far wall where his small collection of swords was mounted. He grabbed a sabre, rushed over to the door, flung it open and charged out of the room.

Zorro exchanged an amused glance with the Capitan, "Where does he think he's going?"

Olvera shrugged, "Who knows. De Soto's men have already surrounded the hacienda and there's nowhere for him to go." he replied.

Zorro shook his head, "Except to fight." he said before he turned and rushed out of the room, with the officer close behind him.

**Z Z Z**

They emerged into a side courtyard where Don Cesar was fighting against two lancers and Zorro immediately noticed that the older man was the better swordsman. He drew his own sabre just as Don Cesar disarmed both Private Gomez and then Corporal Sepulveda, "Ah, that was a interesting move, Don Cesar but somewhat lacking in grace." he commented with a grin on his face.

Don Cesar whipped around, "What would you know about being graceful, Zorro, you are nothing but a bandit." he sneered as he gave a half-hearted salute with his sword.

Zorro chuckled as he returned the salute, "Even a bandit can be graceful. Perhaps I can show you."

Don Cesar forced his anger aside; he knew better than to fight when angry, for that was when mistakes were made, "I would be honoured, Zorro." he replied with a small grin as he slowly circled towards the exit, his sword held easily in his hand, waiting for the bandit to make the first move.

Zorro grinned as he watched the older man move, rather obviously, towards the gate but Olvera cut off his retreat, "Really Don Cesar, that's not very honourable of you to run away like a thief in the night." he taunted him.

Don Cesar saw red at Zorro's insult and against his better judgement; he struck out with his sabre, only for Zorro to deflect it with a flick of his sword.

"Not graceful at all." Zorro continued with his taunting but now Don Cesar was more in command of his emotions and ignored the snide remarks, as he once again circled the masked bandit. When their swords clashed for the second time, it became a contest of skills as well as a battle of wills.

It soon became obvious to Zorro that Don Cesar was no ordinary swordsman, as they slowly began to discover each other's strengths and weaknesses and with each attack and counter-attack, neither could gain the upper hand over the other. As they warily circled each other, Zorro grinned at his opponent, "I must concede that you are reasonably graceful with the blade, Don Cesar."

Don Cesar did not reply as he went on the offensive once more.

In a flurry of intricate moves by the older man, Zorro felt threatened for the first time, in a long time. Here was a man who could really challenge him, perhaps even defeat him and he found that idea strangely exhilarating. He had longed for someone to test his skills against, to push him to his limits and now he had found his true opponent in Don Cesar Quintana. Even his fencing mentor had not pushed him as Don Cesar was doing, as they fought in the small courtyard.

But the hard fight was beginning to take it's toll on the combatants, as their concentration slipped and it was only through pure luck that Zorro saw Don Cesar's feint for what it was and blocked him at the last second, otherwise his life would have ended there and then. He used the momentum and his greater strength to get under Don Cesar's guard and with a one last twist of his wrist, he disarmed the older man and sent his sabre crashing to the ground.

Zorro held his sabre against Don Cesar's chest just as de Soto stepped forward, "You won't escape from justice, Quintana," he said coldly before he turned to Mendoza, "Sergeant, tie this man with rope and secure him to a horse and if he escapes, I will hold you personally responsible. Do you understand, Sergeant?"

Mendoza came to attention, "Si, Alcalde." he replied as he motioned to Corporal Sepulveda and Private Gomez to take hold of Don Cesar before he led the way back to their horses.

Capitan Olvera shook his head in amazement, "I have never seen such swordsmanship, Señor Zorro. You would be a welcome addition to the Royal Guards." he complimented as he watched Zorro resheathed his Toledo blade.

Zorro grinned, "Gracias Capitan but I don't believe the King would be, shall we say, impressed to have an outlaw in his personal guards."

Olvera chuckled, "Probably not, no."

De Soto frowned, he did not want to be reminded of Zorro's skill with the blade. He turned his attention to the case that Olvera was holding in his arms, "Is that it? Is that Queen Isabella's Sceptre? Can I have a look?" he whispered with an awed voice.

The Capitan nodded as he carefully opened the case, while both Zorro and de Soto stepped closer, "This, gentlemen, is over three hundred and forty years old."

The three men stared down at the priceless Sceptre that had once belonged to Queen Isabella I, who along with her husband, King Ferdinand II, had united Spain into the great nation that it was.

"It's beautiful," de Soto muttered, "I can understand why he wanted it."

"Yes but the Sceptre belongs to the Spanish Crown and in turn, it belongs to all of us and not to one individual." Olvera said as he closed the case.

De Soto nodded, "Of course. Will you need extra men to escort you back to Spain?"

Olvera shook his head, "No, if I have too many guards, it would only raise suspicions."

Zorro nodded, "And that is something you don't need."

"Exactly," he replied. The Capitan gazed around at the courtyard, "What I do need is to have this place thoroughly searched and each item catalogued and accounted for. I doubt that this is the only valuable artefact he has stolen and hidden here."

De Soto frowned, "But that could take weeks or even months. You wouldn't have the time to do that, if you want to get Quintana back to Spain."

Olvera smiled slightly, "I don't intend to do the inventory," he said, "My duty is to return Quintana back to Spain for trial and most likely his execution," he paused as he gazed at the two men, "What I need from you, is a name of someone that you both trust. Someone who would do the job without the temptation to, shall we say, keep a separate list for himself and another for the Government. Do you know of any such man?"

Zorro knew that this was a very important job and the only man he trusted was his father, "I think that Don Alejandro de la Vega would be good for this task."

De Soto snorted, "Of course you would."

Capitan Olvera raised an eyebrow, "You don't believe so, Alcalde? Don Alejandro de la Vega is highly respected in Spain."

De Soto sighed and shook his head, "Forgive me Capitan, you are right, Don Alejandro is much thought of but the best person for this job would be his son, Don Diego."

Zorro cocked his head, "Why would that be, Alcalde, you never had much time for Don Diego before."

"Be that as it may Zorro, he would be the best person," he turned to Olvera and explained, "Don Diego may not be the most active man I have ever seen but he does have an affinity for the arts and he would never consider stealing. In fact, he's one of the most honest man around." he grudgingly admitted.

Zorro was dumbfounded by the Alcalde's good opinion of himself; it was something he never expected de Soto would say about him.

Olvera nodded thoughtfully, "What about you Zorro, do you also agree?"

Zorro nodded, "Yes, I agree."

"Excellent. Now, we must be getting back to the pueblo. My men should arrive either later today or tomorrow and we must leave as soon as possible to get the next ship back to Spain. And in the meantime, I need to visit the de la Vegas," he turned to Zorro and held out his hand, "I want to thank you, Zorro, for your help in this matter. Perhaps when the King hears about your involvement, he might give you a Royal Pardon." He added with a grin.

Zorro grinned as they shook hands, "That would be nice."

Capitan Olvera chuckled, "I'm sure it would be." he replied before he turned and walked towards the gate, where the lancers were waiting with Don Cesar tied to his horse.

De Soto frowned as he faced his archenemy, "Even if you do get a Royal Pardon, which I highly doubt, it would take a long time to come through and in the meantime, you will be mine." he threatened.

Zorro chuckled as he shook his head; it had not taken de Soto long to revert back to his usual self, "I see that our truce is over, now that we have solved the mystery." he said as he let out a shrill whistle.

"Yes, the truce is over," de Soto replied, "The next time we meet, Zorro, it will be your last. I will have you in my cells before you know it." he added as Toronado came rushing up to them.

Zorro leapt onto the saddle and grinned down at de Soto, "You can try, Alcalde, you can try." he replied before he pulled on Toronado's reins and urged his faithful steed away from Don Cesar's hacienda.

De Soto stared hard at the retreating figure, "I will get you yet, Zorro. I will never rest until I see you hanging from the gallows." he promised himself.


	8. Chapter 8

Epilogue - Five weeks later.

Victoria emerged from the tavern's kitchen in time to see Diego enter the tavern with his father and Felipe behind him. She smiled as the three men came up to the bar, "Buenos dias gentlemen, you are looking very pleased with yourselves." she said.

Don Alejandro slapped his son on the shoulders and grinned, "Buenos dias Victoria," he replied, "We have every right to be pleased with ourselves. Diego has finally finished his task at Quintana's hacienda and he is about send a full report to Capitan Olvera," he said proudly, "And we've come to celebrate the great job that he did."

Victoria beamed at her friend, "That's wonderful Diego. I will open my best wine for you." she said.

Don Alejandro clapped his hands together, "Excellent. I'll get us a table." he said as he and Felipe crossed over to a vacant table by the far wall.

Diego smiled and shook his head as Victoria moved through the curtains to get the wine; it wasn't often his father was proud by something that he had done and it felt good to have his father's respect.

"Ah Don Diego, have you finished your task yet?" de Soto asked as he walked up to the bar and placed several coins on the counter, to pay for his meal.

Diego smiled and nodded, "As a matter of fact, I have. Cesar Quintana had a remarkable collection of items from Spain, France, and England and even from Egypt." he replied. He had thoroughly enjoyed inventorying all the items Quintana's former hacienda.

De Soto snorted, "No doubt those items were taken from the French troops, who marched into Egypt under Napoleon."

"No doubt." Diego replied.

De Soto nodded as he gazed around the tavern before turning his attention back to Diego, "So, just what did you do with all the valuable pieces?" he said quietly, "I mean, you didn't leave them in the empty hacienda for anyone to steal."

Diego smiled, "Of course not," he replied, "Zorro is keeping them safe for me, until I hear back from Capitan Olvera."

"Zorro! You can't be serious," de Soto spluttered, "That brigand is not to be trusted with such an important task."

Diego shrugged, "The Capitan trusted him and that is good enough for me," he said as Victoria returned with the bottle of wine and several glasses, "Besides, I have the list of all the items and if anything goes missing, I know who to blame."

De Soto nodded thoughtfully, "Of course. I just would hate to have someone take advantage of you, Don Diego," he replied, "Now if you will excuse me, I have some work to do." he said before he turned and left the tavern.

Diego shook his head before he turned his attention to Victoria.

"So, Zorro helped you then, did he?" she asked with a smile.

He smiled back, "Yes, I couldn't have done it without him," he replied.

She nodded, "It was good of Zorro to help you out."

"It was -" He stopped when he saw his father waving to him, "Please excuse me, Victoria but father seems eager for his wine." he said with a smile as he picked up the bottle and glasses before he headed over to where his father and Felipe were waiting for him.

Victoria watched him go, pleased that everything was back to normal after the scandal of Don Cesar Quintana's arrest just over a month ago, for the murder of Señor Aragón as well as theft of some paintings from Spain. She felt that there was a lot more to the story than the Alcalde was willing to admit and she even believed that Diego, himself, knew much more about it but no matter how hard she tried to get information from him, he never told her what had happened at Quintana's hacienda.

She sighed as she turned her attention back to her patrons; it would end up being one of those mysteries, which she would never know the secret to.

* * *

><p>The End<p>

I hope you enjoyed this story. It was a challenge to write a more standard Zorro adventure. I've been wanting to write something different for a long time and this came along at the right time. Sadly the project itself didn't go the way it had been hoped, as this story had been selected but it has been a good, if somewhat frustrating learning experience.

I did some research for this story and most of it is historically accurate:

The Crown and Sceptre can be seen at the Royal Chapel in Granada, Spain, where Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand are interned.

La Guardia Real (Royal Guard) dates back many centuries and their main function is to protect the Spanish Royal Family and they continue to do so to this day.

Father Jose de Zalvidea, mentioned in the prologue, was a real priest in charge of San Gabriel Mission at the time that this series was set.

The child's drawing I mentioned, is called a "was" an Egyptian hieroglyph character which stands for power of a ruler / god - a sceptre, amongst other things.

And of course the Rosetta Stone discovered in 1799 by French troops, in Egypt, under Napoleon, who took artists, writers with him on his campaign.


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